Steve Lavin and St. John’s are tipping off in a couple hours in a game that’s as big as any they’ve played this season. The Johnnies are at Marquette today in a contest that will keep the winner in NCAA Tournament at-large berth contention. The loser will likely have to win the Big East Tournament (or at least reach the final game) in order to go dancing.
On the eve of this crucial season finale, both Steve Lavin and the school released statements on Coach Lav’s future in Queens.
Steve Lavin arrived in New York City in March of 2010 after spending seven years calling/analyzing college basketball for ESPN. He signed a six-year deal worth $1.45 million per year.
“Steve is coming to the end of the fourth year in his initial six-year contract and it is an appropriate time to discuss an extension,” St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch said in the statement sent out by the SID. “We have certainly had preliminary talks and look forward to revisiting the matter at the conclusion of the season.”
In his statement, Steve Lavin said he is looking forward to coaching St. John’s “for the long-term.”
This certainly quells the Steve Lavin hot seat conversation that surfaced in the New York press when SJU got off to that miserable 0-5 start in conference play, which ended with an embarrassing loss at DePaul. Now the Red Storm have turned it around, as they currently sport a 9-8 league record. I thought it seemed ridiculous that Steve Lavin would have job insecurity at that point; especially when you look at Oliver Purnell at DPU.
He’s gone: 1-17, 3-15, 2-16, 3-15 in conference during his four years in Chicago, and he’s inexplicably and illogically returning for a fifth year!
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)